JGD 28: Jets face Hawks in second game of back to back

After last nights impressive overtime win against the Blues, the Jets have an equally difficult divisional matchup tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks. Puck drop is slated for 6pm CT and you can catch the game on Sportsnet and as always, you listen to the game on TSN 1290 radio.

Let’s take a look at tonight’s lineups.

Jets

Mark Scheifele will be sidelined for a second straight game and that could mean we see Blake Wheeler at centre for a second straight game.

Could Patrik Laine realistically hit 40 goals? The 18 year-old sniper is tied for the league lead in goals with 16 and as it stands now, he’s on pace for a jaw-dropping 48 goals.

If the Jets can grab two points tonight and finish off this back to back with four points, that’s a big statement. Winnipeg has struggled to sustain consistency and four points over opponents like St Louis and Chicago could get the Jets on the right path.

Connor Hellebuyck had a difficult outing during his last start against the Oilers. He’ll get chance to rebound from that forgettable performance tonight against the Hawks, which will be no easy task.

The Hawks ( alike the Jets) have their number one centre on the shelf. Jonathan Toews is on the shelf for the time being and the Hawks depth at centre is getting thin. Nick Schmaltz was sent to Rockford for more fine tuning and the Hawks will need to heavily rely on the teams top line of Artem Anisimov, Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin to produce on the scoresheet.

The Hawks 16-7-3 record is the best in the west and second amongst the league.